Tea Shopping and Curried Stew

Good evening!

This morning’s breakfast was a bowl of plain Greek Yogurt, maple syrup, granola, chia seeds, sliced banana and dried cranberries.

I had a class until 11:30 am and came home to leave my books. I bought a panini and ate it in the subway because I had some shopping to do.

I wanted to go at David’s Tea (45 min in public transportation). I wanted to buy this:

I love tea – I drink it at home, but I also always have some with me at school. And I love loose leaf tea… but I have a huge collection of tea bags since I need to bring my tea with me if I want to drink it at school.
And here comes the solution to my problem.

This is a tea press travel mug. And it has a compartment to bring extra tea!

Since I was already there, I decided to load up on good quality loose leaf tea.

I bought 50g of citrus oolong – oolong tea, lemon myrtle, jasmine and natural citrus extract.
And 100g Sencha Pear – japanese green sencha, marigold blossoms, apple and pear.
And the beauty box.

This box contains three bags of tea.

Strawberry White – white tea, strawberries.
The Skinny – oolong tea, pu’erh tea, ginger, ginseng.
Detox – rooibos, sencha, ginger, ginkgo, lemongrass, juniper berries.

I can’t wait to try them all!

I came back and went to the grocery store, where I found:

Pumpkin! I’ve been looking for canned pumpkin everywhere. And today they finally had some at my grocery store. There was only E.D. Smith, which would not be my first choice… but I won’t complain! Guess what will be featured in tomorrow’s breakfast ;).

I came back home happy and made dinner.

A delicious stew. Using these ingredients:

Like I said yesterday, my brother gave me his cold. It is much better today but still, a stew was mandatory.

This stew is the first dinner I ever had as a vegetarian. And it is the kind of dish that convinces you that no meat doesn’t mean bland!

Adaptation of “Curried Sweet Potato & Chickpea Stew”, Women’s Health Magazine, April 2010

Print recipe

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbsp coconut oil (or oil of your choice)
• 1/2 white onion, chopped or thinly sliced
• 2 bell peppers, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch pieces *see note
• 1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup coconut milk *see note
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Black pepper, to taste

Directions: Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in onion and bell peppers and cook until the onion is translucent.  Stir in curry powder and cumin and cook for 2 minutes. Add broth and squash, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until squash is tender.
Remove 1 cup squash and mash with a fork. Stir mashed squash back into pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes. Stir in chickpeas, coconut milk, cilantro and black pepper and cook until heated through.

Makes 4 servings.
Makes 6 servings if served with rice.

Nutrition facts (1/4 recipe): 374 calories, 153 calories from fat, 18 g total fat, 14 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 571 mg sodium, 49 g carbohydrates, 11 g fiber, 11 g sugar, 11 g protein

*Notes: If you want to use sweet potatoes, use 3-4. I tried this recipe with potatoes and squash and both are delicious.
I used regular coconut milk the first time and light today. It doesn’t change much.

I’ll see you tomorrow morning with my pumpkin breakfast!